Forewords

I remember it was a day in May 2005 when I delivered a speech at the “Ambassador Pyo Wook Han Lecture Series on Korean-US Affairs” and met several Korean War Veterans. A Korean War Veteran showed me some pictures from the Korean War when he fought 55 years ago. They reminded me of the scars and traumas that divided the whole world into two poles of communism and capitalist democracy, and how the bi-polar confrontation of the Cold War bisected the Korean Peninsula and Korean nation. I came to realize the scars are still there among KWVs.

Despite the enormous loss of life and uncounted number of wounded, the war they fought is still called “Korean Conflict” or “forgotten war.” I could tell from their eyes that they felt disgraced and want someone to correct this false historical understanding of the Korean War. As a former acting president who has worked on this blood-based alliance, I felt that I needed to do something to redeem the historical data of KWVs’ memories and sacrifice, illuminating the real Korean War. Finally, I and Professor Jongwoo Han (a director of the Ambassador Pyo Wook Han Lecture series) came to the idea of preserving KWVs’ memories in the form of a digital memorial in cyberspace. With financial support from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Professor Han and his team constructed the Korean War Veterans Digital Memorial. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Maxwell School of Syracuse University and all people who have contributed to the establishment of this digital memorial. Most of all, this memorial is for the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for the Korean nation, and I wish other KWVs will follow the Korean War Veterans Association, Central New York Chapter #105.
The KWVDM is the only way to preserve and use the interviews and different forms of data permanently without the limitations of storage and accessibility. I invite all Korean War Veterans, not only from the United States but also from other countries who fought in the Korean War to participate in the KWVDM so that it can serve as a symbol of peace after the Armistice in the Korean Peninsula is replaced by a peace treaty.

The former Acting President of Republic of Korea and Trustee Emeritus of Syracuse University.
Goh, Kun

Bradley Remarks

My father was one of the boys who raised the flag on Iwo Jima. That flagraising photo was a symbol of victory, as Americans imagined that war in Asia would be a thing of the past. But within a short five years, the Korean War signaled the beginning of the Cold War.
The brave young men and women who suffered in the Korean War deserve credit for laying the foundations for the modern, prosperous and democratic Korea. Professor Jongwoo Han and his team is honoring them with an online, virtual museum, the Korean War Veterans Digital Memorial, allowing Korean vets to share their experiences with the rest of the world.
Today 2.2 million Korean War Veterans are with us. Their average age is 80 years old. Do yourself a favor. Visit with some of them today at the Korean War Veterans Digital Memorial.
James Bradley
AuthorFlags of Our FathersFlyboysThe Imperial Cruise

Banners in both Korean and English in courtesy of Professor Emeritus Young-Bok Shin of SungKongHoe University.

Prof. Shin, Young-Bok was born in 1941 in Milyang, Kyungnam Province. After graduating from the Department of Economics in both undergraduate and graduate course at Seoul National University, he taught in the Department of Economics at Sookmyung Women's University as a lecturer. While teaching in the Korean Military Academy as an instructor, in 1968, he was accused of being involved in the Case of Revolution-for-Korean Unification party. He was arrested and sentenced to death in Martial Court. Afterwards, the initial verdict of death was overturned at the Korean Supreme Court, but he was sentenced life imprisonment. After 20 years and 20 days of imprisonment, he received special pardon on August 15, 1988 and was released.

Shin refers to his twenty-year imprisonment as his "university days." During 20 year imprisonment, he was able to nourish critical insight into society represented by the terms he coined as "cool head," and warm compassion for humans termed "warm heart."

He has taught courses on Politico-economics, History of Korean Thoughts, Readings of Chinese Classics, and so on at SungKongHoe University since 1989. Since retiring in August, 2006 as the Dean of the Graduate School, he has continued teaching as a 'chair professor' at the same university.

Books:
Reflections From the Prison
Trees Oh Trees
Together Into a Forest
As it Was In the Beginning
Rectures: My readings of Chinese Classics
Memories of Chung-Gu Hoe
For the First Time
On the Way to the Forest